City considering steep fines for properties tying up police and emergency services...
B.C.'s gang task force says it's working with RCMP in Fort St. John to respond to a spike in gun violence over the past month.
City officials have called for more police resources in the wake of three targeted shootings near local schools since July 22.
Four people have been injured and one man has been charged in the attacks, while police say they are working to identify several other suspects who remain at large.
Sgt. Sarbjit K. Sangha with B.C.'s Combined Forces Special Enforcement Unit (CFSEU) says the agency has received a request for support from local RCMP, and are working to deploy the Uniform Gang Enforcement Team "in a timely manner."
Several homes and vehicles have been hit by bullets during the shootings, and Mayor Lilia Hansen says she's worried about innocent people getting hurt.
"We've seen bullets go through people's walls that have nothing to do with what's going on," Hansen said. "We need a stronger presence."
The recent violence has also led to calls from a local city councillor for more municipal powers to seize property linked to gangs and violent crime.
Trevor Bolin says cities need more tools to respond to public safety matters faster. He plans to bring two motions forward that would increase fines against properties that repeatedly draw on police, fire and bylaw resources.
“It is now severely more expensive when we dispatch police to shootings and resources to houses that continue to steal people’s stuff,” Bolin said.
“If a property endured $10,000 to $15,000 of emergency services resources, we will bill them that within a certain time frame and that will become a public record.”
Bolin is also proposing a "good neighbour" bylaw similar to one he says is in place in Williams Lake in B.C.'s central Interior.
He says a "three-strike" policy could target nuisance properties repeatedly subject to public complaints with as much as a $1,200 fine.
“It pays to be a good neighbour, it’s costly to be a bad one,” Bolin said.
“When we look at the province not maybe acting as quickly as we’d like to on the provincial level, at some point in time you have to be liable for how you decide to live in Fort St. John.”
Sangha could not say when the gang unit will arrive in Fort St. John, but noted CFSEU was deployed to the city last November for similar circumstances.
Sgt. Jaime Moffat, detachment commander of the Fort St. John RCMP, says the shootings are "deeply concerning" for police and the community, and appealed for the public's help.
"If you see something that doesn't seem right, report it," she said in a statement. "Information that may appear insignificant today could be the missing piece investigators need, and early reporting of suspicious or concerning activity may help prevent future incidents from occurring."
-From Matt Preprost · CBC News
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